Sakura — Local services in San Francisco

Since the new owners took over, it's nothing like what it used to be. It's a completely different store.

It's kind of a Japanese mini-grocery store now? I guess? It has decent selections. Worth stopping by once in a while.

Nama yatsubashi!! 👍 Katsu sando is good. They're almost always in the fridge. Roll cakes are good but often not there at all. Bento/rice balls menu changes daily but not available on their insta account until that day way after the store opens. Their bento isn't good. I tried three of them and I didn't like any. (But they seem to sell out after lunch. So some ppl must like them.) Rice balls are hit-or-miss. Rice is a bit mushy. Salmon is very dry. Ume is alright. You never know... Tamago sando isn't great. Lack flavor.

Some random stationery/trinkets/cute goods are available but very few. The displays of them aren't great/not cute & very few so it's easily missed.

They recently added shampoo/ conditioner(but not refills), face wash, a couple of skincare products. Very small selection. If they start having refill bags, it will be my preferred place to get those.

Items change often which would be fun if it was still a "雑貨屋 with staple Japanese food/goods" store, but as a grocery store, it's makes the store slightly unreliable.

Over all layout is puzzling/confusing and the inside looks desolate(殺風景) even with the full shelves. It's very much the opposite of the previous spirited lively atmosphere.

I stop by once in a while to see if what I need is there before I go to a normal grocery store or H-mart or J-town. Most of the time they have what I need. 👍

If they have modern/stylish/cute announcements of what the new items are on the big window like the previous owners did (they did it with actual items. I reckon food shouldn't be right on where the sun directly hits...), it might be more convenient? But the Valentine's day window decorations were a bit too "dollar store"-ish adding desolate-ness. Something more modern would be nice.

Update 4/2022: You HAVE to get these cat house! My kitten goes craaaaazy in it. I have to get multiple so I can put them in every room!! It's very very hard to walk out from the store without buying something...

Finally tried the food from the new Sakura! This is top-level Japanese cooking! Everything is so delicious, so flavorful, so thoughtful, so subtle. Two of my Japanese girlfriends and I got mini bento boxes. We were sooooooooooo happy. They are not so mini - it's a great meal. Everything was cooked perfectly. Nothing tasted too much of dashi, soy sauce or sugar, but somehow each element was so flavorful, so delicious, and so Japanese!!! There was great variety of flavor, texture and color. It comes in a compostable container, too. I also tried the veggie curry bowl (which comes in a microwaveable container) and it was full of veggies, comforting, and delicious. The pickled onion on top is just the right contrast. Chicken katsu sandwich was simple and delicious, with just a hint of tonkatsu sauce and a such thinly shredded cabbage. I would say this is as good as my grandmother made, but my grandmother was not nearly as beautiful a cook as this. Bento boxes seem to sell out after lunch time. I'm already planning to bring bento boxes to work on days where the schedule works out. The store part is sparse, but has the essentials, Japanese treats and Japanese grocery/pantry items. They had a very good brand of soy sauce which I will bring to family friends as a gift. All in all, a welcome addition to the city! No more driving to Japan town for disappointing bento from the grocery there! Looking forward to trying...

Sakura is open again! It’s nice having a Japanese mini mart in Inner Sunset and I have been look forward to the day they reopen— especially because of the addition of ready made meals. Staff were very friendly and greeted everyone kindly upon entering and exiting.

While the market was nice and reasonably priced, I do wish the ready-made food was better. I got their salmon and sukiyaki onigiri (each $3.50) and the rice was mushy and lacked in seasoning. It was also very dry getting to the center. I also got the 6 pieces negihama and negitoro rolls (each $11.75). The rolls were large and the fish was good but the rolls were predominately comprised of unseasoned medium grain rice. Each plate contained a small bottle of soy sauce and a cherry tomato. The small bottle of soy sauce was not nearly enough soy sauce for the amount of rice you had to eat. I wish the trays came with wasabi too.

Please see the photos I uploaded to the business page for a visual representation of what I purchased.

Overall, I would give the food I purchased a 2/5 but the staff were friendly so I give them a 3/5. I do hope the owners see this review and make some improvements in the...